The Midwest League All-Star teams were announced on Thursday and one notable omission was a Beloit Snappers’ outfielder who has really picked up the pace in recent weeks.

Outfielder Luis Barrera, one of the Oakland A’s top-30 prospects for 2017, was not one of the four Snappers named to the mid-season classic, which will be played at West Michigan later this month. Barrera’s omission is especially glaring while he is in the midst of his best stretch at the Low-A, as he’s hitting .333 over his past 10 games, with six multi-hit games among those 10.

The hot streak has pushed Barrera’s average to .305 and his OPS to 790 through 46 games and 177 at-bats this season. Speaking through interpreter and Beloit hitting coach Juan Dilone, Barrera attributed the hot stretch to finding a nice rhythm during his second season in the Midwest League.

“I got a little experience last year, so I want to keep working hard and have a great season and move up in the organization,” said Barrera, who forced his way onto the Snappers’ roster down the stretch in 2016 after hitting .321 with an 800 OPS in 41 games at short-season Vermont. “I worked a lot in the offseason on becoming a better hitter than I was the year before, and that’s paying off right now.”

Early on in the 2017 season, Barrera noticed a difference in how opposing pitchers faced him and he made the proper adjustments to put himself in position for a good first half.

After posting a modest .266/.329/.328 slash line in 19 April games, Barrera saw his production increase during May when his line shot up to .333/.360/.526. The most notable difference is Barrera has turned singles into extra-base hits, leading to near .200-point bump in his OPS.

“Last year, I was new here so what I saw from the pitchers is that they were going to establish their fastball with me,” Barrera said. “That was the only thing I was looking for. Now everybody knows me in this league, so they’re mixing a lot of pitches with me. I’m looking for a pitch that I can handle. Sometimes in situations in fastball counts, I’ll see a change-up because it’s a similar pitch.”

Barrera has also changed his approach at the plate when seeing the increased number of pitches.

“Everybody knows I can run,” he said. “A couple years ago I was popping up a lot. My plan since last year is to hit the ball opposite field, line-drive and put the ball on the ground because I’ve got good speed. I’m sticking with that plan right now and keep working hard at that.”

The results have been noticeable, at least in Barrera’s 2017 production compared to the brief cameo at the end of last summer when he slashed .286/.320/.443 in 19 games and 70 at-bats.

The Snappers’ outfielder has been able to sustain his success through several games, but knows he might need to change that approach when more adjustments are necessary.

“I want to maintain everything I’m doing so far, because I’m being successful that way,” Barrera said. “I know that sooner or later, I’ll have to make a couple changes if I go someplace else.”

Barrera hopes the need for change is sooner, rather than later, and as a member of High-A Stockton’s outfield.